Notes: Food poisoning weakens Rolen

Miles gets start before friends and family; Keisler's play lauded

SAN FRANCISCO -- Scott Rolen was missing from the Cardinals lineup Thursday for the second consecutive game as he continues to recover from food poisoning.

The third baseman showed signs of improvement by even making it to the visiting clubhouse Thursday after being hospitalized for three hours Wednesday afternoon.

Rolen started feeling sick at his hotel room Tuesday night around midnight. He felt better enough to consider playing Wednesday morning, but when he tried to eat breakfast, the symptoms came rushing back. He was taken to the hospital, where he received two IV bags of fluid and was given a shot to make him stop vomiting.

Rolen said he is pretty sure it was food poising, which doctors told him usually takes effect four to six hours after eating bad food. It stands to reason, since Rolen ate at 8 p.m. and started feeling sick around midnight.

Rolen said he lost five to seven pounds during the ordeal, and he appreciated even a bland breakfast of oatmeal and toast Thursday morning.

"I feel like I'm on top of the world compared to yesterday," Rolen said.

He expects to feel well enough to make the starting lineup for the upcoming series in Chicago and said he even felt good enough Thursday to possibly play, but only if he was really needed.

"I'm probably not going to make an appearance today, but I might put my spikes on if I head down there," Rolen said.

Forty Miles from home: Aaron Miles made Thursday's starting lineup at AT&T Park, which sits about 40 miles from his hometown of Pittsburg, Calif. Miles was batting eighth and playing second.

Miles said 25 of his friends and family would be at Thursday's game to watch him play. Pittsburg is about 45 minutes from San Francisco, but Miles followed Tony La Russa's A's, not the Giants, when he was a kid.

Afternoon adjustments: So Taguchi and Preston Wilson also made Thursday's starting lineup. Jim Edmonds and Adam Kennedy got the afternoon off after Wednesday's 12-inning night game.

Entering Thursday's game, Wilson had the most at-bats against Giants starter Noah Lowry in the St. Louis lineup. Wilson had logged 12 at-bats against Lowry and previously lit up the lefty for a home run and a triple.

Bochy on Kiesler: San Francisco got the win Wednesday, but 12 hours later, Giants manager Bruce Bochy was still pretty impressed by a play he saw from Cardinals starting pitcher Randy Keisler. In the fourth inning, Keisler held the Giants to one run with quick thinking when Giants starting pitcher Matt Morris laid down a sacrifice bunt.

"Keisler was in shutdown mode thinking Pujols was going to get [the bunt]," Bochy said. "Then he realizes Pujols was not going to get it and goes over there and makes a perfect throw to barely get Morris. That really saved them from a big inning."

On deck: Braden Looper will make the start for the Cardinals in their opener against the Cubs in Chicago at 1:20 p.m. CT on Friday. Looper will throw opposite left-hander Ted Lilly.

Becky Regan is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.